A.E. Housman, perhaps one of modern poetry's most enigmatic writers, was well known for his mastery of concise language. His poem "The night is freezing fast" perfectly illustrates his typical style: short, but effective. Housman makes the most of his carefully selected words as he ties together themes of death, bereavement, and the afterlife with creative poetic devices. Housman's commentary on the nature of the afterlife gives his elegy a universal appeal. The idea of spending eternity sleeping nestled warm and cozy deep within the "turning globe" (l. 12) is certainly comforting. Housman does not portray death as a frightening experience, but rather as an escape from all worldly discomforts, such as the chill of winter. The brief nature of the poem might also point to Housman's views of death. It is inevitable, and quick: for years a person is living, and then in a single moment, he is dead. Therefore, death is not worth the exhaustion of a long, drawn-out poem. It is not something to be feared, because it is not slow or painful. Housman also indicates that people should not waste time grieving over the death of a loved one, because death is not fearful. Despite the overall morbid theme of death and dying, there is no overwhelming emotion displayed by the poet. Housman hints at the intense relationship between Dick and himself, through the phrase "chiefly I remember / How Dick would hate the cold." (l. 6) Housman indicates that he and Dick were close--the mere coming of winter reminds him of "winterfalls of old" (l. 3) spent with his friend. The fact that he knew of Dick's aversion to cold weather means that he knew Dick at a personal level. However, Housman does not directly disclose anything abo... ... middle of paper ... ...stanza. The alliteration of the "h" sound in lines 7 and 8, "he," "hand," "headpiece," produces an aspirate. The "h" creates the sound of human breath. The reader can almost picture white puffs of breath forming in the frosty winter air. Similar alliteration can be found in the phrase "woven a winter robe" (l. 9), though the effect here draws the reader's eat back to the smooth contemplative sounds of the first stanza. Housman expresses a neither positive nor negative view of death in his poem. Rather, he points to death as a quiet release from the constraints of secular pain. The ending of the poem indicates how the cyclic changing of the seasons mirrors the circle of life. As turns the world, so cycles life. People are born, and die. Dick has passed on, and someday, Housman will join him in his "winter robe ... made of earth and sea" (l.9-10).
My initial response to the poem was a deep sense of empathy. This indicated to me the way the man’s body was treated after he had passed. I felt sorry for him as the poet created the strong feeling that he had a lonely life. It told us how his body became a part of the land and how he added something to the land around him after he died.
The poem “anyone lived in a pretty how town” by E.E. Cummings talks about the cycle of life and the importance of structure, symbolism, and language of the poem. For instance, the poem has nine stanzas, which has a rhyming pattern of AABC. The rhythm of the poem is significant for it supports one of themes, the cycle of life. Cumming uses season to explain the poem's progress. “spring summer autumn winter” (3) and “sun moon stars rain” (8) symbolizes time passing, which represents life passing. In the poem, as the seasons and skies rotate, life continues along with them. In addition, the uses of the words “snow” (22), “buried” (27), “was by was” (28), and “day by day” (29) leading to death. Towards the end of the poem, the depression of death was mention, but Cumming was just stating the n...
“Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words,” Robert Frost once said. As is made fairly obvious by this quote, Frost was an adroit thinker. It seems like he spent much of his life thinking about the little things. He often pondered the meaning and symbolism of things he found in nature. Many readers find Robert Frost’s poems to be straightforward, yet his work contains deeper layers of complexity beneath the surface. His poems are not what they seem to be at first glance. These deeper layers of complexity can be clearly seen in his poems “The Road Not Taken”, “Fire and Ice”, and “Birches”.
More than death itself, Harwood’s poetry shows how many people fail to accept death. Their belief in immortality and fear of the end is also potrayed in Nightfall. Although when the subject of the poem is death, the words describe life, as if reluctant to face up to reality. The images are of suburbs, lights, birds and trees. Even with so many experiences, many of us will forever be ignorant seems to be the truth ringing perpetually though Harwood’s verses.
A. E. Houseman and John Keats are two poets who have wrote many poems about death. In particular, I will be speaking about Houseman’s “To An Athlete Dying Young,” and John Keats “When I have fears that I may cease to be.” Houseman speaks about a young athlete who died shortly after winning a race. Many people would think that this was a life that was short lived; however, Houseman believes this is the best way to go. If you die at your prime, that is how people will remember you, and no one will break your record. Keats speaks about some things that he wants in life: success, face, love, etc. He believes these things are crucial to the value of one’s life, and he realizes his death is coming soon, and he will not be able to fulfill these things.
“Death, the end of life: the time when someone or something dies” (Merriam-Webster, 2014). The definition of death is quite simple, the end of life is inescapable. I chose to write about death and impermanence because it is something we all must inevitably face. People often deal with death in a number of different ways. Although it is something that we must eventually face, it can be hard to come to terms with because the idea can be hard to grasp. Some of us fear it, others are able to accept it, either way we all must eventually face it. In this essay I will look at two different literary works about death and impermanence and compare and contrast the different elements of the point of view, theme, setting, and symbolism. The comparison of these particular works will offer a deeper look into words written by the authors and the feelings that they experiencing at that particular time.
Death is one of the only true constants in the universe and is the only guarantee in life. Everyone knows of death and everyone will experience it, but to the living death is still one of life's greatest mysteries. In some cultures death is celebrated and embraced, while in others it is feared. However it is perceived, death holds different meanings for different people. Through the art of poetry a writer can give a reader many different outlooks and maybe a better understanding of life and death.
In the first instance, death is portrayed as a “bear” (2) that reaches out seasonally. This is then followed by a man whom “ comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse / / to buy me…” This ever-changing persona that encapsulates death brings forth a curiosity about death and its presence in the living world. In the second stanza, “measles-pox” (6) is an illness used to portray death’s existence in a distinctive embodiment. This uncertainty creates the illusion of warmth and welcomenesss and is further demonstrated through the reproduction of death as an eminent figure. Further inspection allows the reader to understand death as a swift encounter. The quick imagery brought forth by words such as “snaps” and “shut” provoke a sense of startle in which the audience may dispel any idea of expectedness in death’s coming. This essential idea of apparent arrival transitions to a slower, foreseeable fate where one can imagine the enduring pain experienced “an iceberg between shoulder blades” (line 8). This shift characterizes the constant adaptation in appearance that death acquires. Moreover, the idea of warmth radiating from death’s presence reemerges with the introduction to a “cottage of darkness” (line 10), which to some may bring about a feeling of pleasantry and comfort. It is important to note that line 10 was the sole occurrence of a rhetorical question that the speaker
Death is a reality that can be interpreted in many ways. Some people fear the possibility of no longer living and others welcome the opportunity for a new life in the afterlife. Many poets have been inspired by death, be it by the approaching death of loved ones or a battle for immortality. Just as each poet is inspired differently, each poem casts a different hue of light on the topic of death giving readers a unique way to look at death.
Robert Frost is regarded as one of the most distinguished American poets in the twentieth century. His work usually realistically describes the rural life in New England in the early twentieth century and conveys complex social and philosophical themes. But his personal life was plagued with grief and loss, which is also reflected in his poems and the dark energy distinguishes Robert Frost’s poems, frequently conveyed in the use of lexical words like dark and its derivatives or synonyms, woods, snow, night, and so on. (Su, Y)
Death is always an interesting topic for discussion. Individuals will respond differently to it emotionally and physically. Some will see it as a nuisance and attempt to remain as busy as they can to not think of it but once death catches up to us we hope and pray that there is an afterlife where we can continue living. Others will do anything in their power to fight against it and make sure that they live their life to the fullest. These individuals are determined to leave some trace of them behind before it is too late. There are a few individuals who find the beauty in death. As if death is all around us and we simply need to take the time to look at it. In any case death is something we will encounter and in Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop for Death”, Thomas’s, “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night”, and Seuss’s “Still-Life with Turkey” we are shown these different viewpoints in very different and unique ways.
The two poems, “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night”, by Dylan Thomas and, “Because I Could Not Wait for Death”, by Emily Dickinson, we find two distinct treatments on the same theme, death. Although they both represent death, they also represent it as something other than death. Death brings about a variety of different feelings, because no two people feel the same way or believe the same thing. The fact that our faith is unknown makes the notion of death a common topic, as writers can make sense of their own feelings and emotions and in the process hope to make readers make sense of theirs too. Both Dickinson and Thomas are two well known and revered poets for their eloquent capture of these emotions. The poems both explore death and the
In the poem, if you don’t stop and think over what you are reading, you will miss the big picture and not enjoy it as much. In Life, if you keep thinking about the big goal in your mind, then you forget to stop and cherish the little things, making Life that much harder to get through. I found in my own analysis that the poem switches from a sort of sweetness to dying, but to Death the tone is completely bitter and makes Death seem evil, because in the poem it is. Death is seen as many things to different people. To E.E. Cummings, Death is the bad guy, the black sheep. Dying is the good guy, the normal family member. The poem does seem o increase in length in each line as each line goes through , much like life. You pick up on certain things through life, adding to the lessons you learn and the advice you receive and take to heart. Cumming’s poem “dying is fine)but Death” talks about the unpredictability of dying, and how it is welcomed. To the steadiness and finality of Death, and how it is
Many people find it hard to imagine their death as there are so many questions to be answered-how will it happen, when, where and what comes next. The fact that our last days on Earth is unknown makes the topic of death a popular one for most poets who looks to seek out their own emotions. By them doing that it helps the reader make sense of their own emotions as well. In the two poems “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickenson and “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas, the poets are both capturing their emotion about death and the way that they accepted it. In Dickenson’s poem her feelings towards death are more passionate whereas in Dylan’s poem the feelings
In the poem, “If I Should Die,” the speaker is curious as to what would happen if they were to die (Academy of American Poets). Death is a common fear. The speaker emphasizes that the idea of death is a natural, peaceful thing that everyone will encounter at the end of life. There is no need to fear death but embrace it and the time that’s allotted in living it. Within the poem, Dickinson creates a picture of a person dying, and another person living and just how that will affect time, nature, and the earth (Moorhead). Moorhead highlights Dickinson’s use of imagery in proving her point of time. “And time should gurgle on” proves that time doesn’t stop when a person dies, but that time will go on after one’s death. Examples are used in the poem to explain how life will be like on earth after death happens; “Tis sweet to know that stocks will stand / when we with daisies lie” ensures that once death does come for an individual, that eventually nature will die too. People have always believed that after a plant dies it will “always grow back,” and this is usually true. Dickinson implies that this idea is the same for humans as well. Once one human is taken from the world, shortly another will be born into the world; it’s a continuance of the natural cycle of nature (Moorhead). The ending line of the poem, “conduct the pleasing scene,” conveys that when you view materialistic earth, a natural death is a pleasing thing to see since it’s the natural way of life. Dickinson paints a positive outlook on death with the use of imagery and makes the idea of death seem more favorable in the eyes of her readers. Death is in fact an inescapable fact of our existence and by giving multiple examples on how life will go on after someone’s death, the reader’s are reassured that what they leave behind will continue on. The speaker is calm knowing the world will continue to function and continue on after dying.